A Japanese Patent publication No. 2000-314258 discloses a door lock control device as a vehicle door opening/closing control apparatus. The door lock control device is provided with a latch mechanism capable of switching an opened/closed condition of a vehicle door relative to a vehicle body, an actuator capable of operating the latch mechanism, a controller capable of switching a controlled condition of the actuator between an operable condition and a non-operable condition and, a locking/unlocking switch disposed at an inner side of the vehicle door for operating the controller.
However, there is no description about an indicating unit for indicating the controlled condition of the actuator. According to another conventional door opening/closing control apparatus provided with a mechanical door lock mechanism, a member of the door lock mechanism is utilized as the indicating unit for indicating whether the door has been under a door locked condition or under a door unlocked condition. For example, a door lock knob is utilized for switching the door to be either the door locked condition or the door unlocked condition. Therefore, the door locked/unlocked condition is represented by an operated condition of the door lock knob. An indicate of the door locked/unlocked condition is effective for an occupant to confirm the door to be under the locked or unlocked condition not only when the occupant is opening the vehicle door but also while the vehicle has been driving.
Therefore, according to the aforementioned door lock control device not having the indicating unit for indicating the controlled condition of the actuator, the occupant can not confirm whether or not the actuator has been under the operable condition or under the non-operable condition, i.e. whether or not the door opening/closing control apparatus has been under a locked condition or under an unlocked condition.
Accordingly, the present invention therefore seeks to provide an improved door opening/closing control apparatus provided with an electric door lock device capable of allowing the occupant to confirm whether the controlled condition of the actuator is under the locked condition or under the unlocked condition.